s kids across the u.s. are taking the stage for the scripps national spelling bee down in d.c. >> a number of spellers from maryland will make the trip. paul jaffe sat down with one of them, jack nolan an eighth grader from maywood elementary school in elk ridge. >> totology. >>reporter: to theology, yes, i had to look it up, but it means the saying of the same

thing twice in different words. but this word like many others is child's play for 13-year-old jack nolan. >> i spend on average 30 minutes a day just going over the words in the kons dated -- consolidated word list. >> we suspected he was bright. he taught himself how to read when he was 3. >>reporter: jack is no stranger to the national spelling bee, having gone in 2009 as a fifth grader. >> i didn't make it past the preliminaries, but it was still exciting. with his mother valerie helping with the daily quizzing, jack has mastered many words most 13 years old would have to google. >> there are some words that are harder, like we usually use things like morph to mean change, like mighty morph and power rangers but it actually means shape. >>reporter: although jack

started reading "harry potter" at age 5 and had a special list given to him as early as the second grade, computers also play a major role in his life. jack loves comic strips, especially one called "brawl in the family." >> my imperial degree, me of dreamland have seen fit to expand my nation's fear of influence. i like comics as an artform. it allows you to both read and see the events depicted. >>reporter: the events jack would like to see next would be a long stay at the spelling bee, but that is not the end of his dreams as he would like to work for nasa some day. >> i want to help build something for space exploration. >>reporter: in elk ridge, hoping jack achieves his lofty goals, paul jaffe, abc 2 news. >> jack would also like to attend m.i.t. after high school, of course, and you can catch jack and the rest of the spelling action on espn channel, it starts today. the preliminaries are on espn 3

at 8:00 this morning and then tomorrow you can see the semifinals at 10:00 a.m. on espn 2. the final round tomorrow night, that's happening at 8:00 p.m. on espn. >> it's just a few minutes before 5:00. for more on the scripps national spelling bee, head to abc2news.com. when you get there look under featured stories in the lower left hand part of the screen. it'll take you to the story of a 6-year-old speller we told you about a few days this morning. around the world this morning, a submarine has been seize inside colombia that officials say was going to be used for drug trafficking. it wasn't clear if drugs were actually on board the vessel. police say the national hurricane centero subhas the capacity to carry 5 tons of cocaine and other narcotics. also in colombia more than a dozen people are buried. they buried themselves in protest against what they fear is impending eviction from a plot of land. they are squatters who have settled in the site several months ago. they say they have no where to go. the mayor of the town says that talks of eviction are just

rumors. a look at whether to put ads on baltimore city fire trucks. reaction to the idea coming up. a worker is recovering this morning in the hospital after being hit by a train. how this happened to him on the job. and it's the largest free art festival in the country. today we're going to learn more about what we can expect coming up at art scape on this wednesday, may the 30th. good morning, maryland. >> thank you so much for joining us. of course lynette will have a look at weather and lauren a look at traffic. talking about weather, everybody saw something a little bit different coming in this morning on the way into work. >> yes, you got rain, we saw fog. nobody's wrong. we're all getting along. >> i like that. >> exactly. take it easy heading out and about. this is a day of changeable weather. we do have some light rain, a little bit of drizzle, so there's some areas on the radar that i'm about to show new a second, there could be drizzle and it's too small for the radar to detect. we are warm and humid this morning. that's going to change.

and then the areas of patchy fog, those will begin to burn off. let's look at maryland's most powerful radar as of now because we do see some light showers around the baltimore area. we can zoom in on that. again, very light in nature, a little bit of drizzle coming around randlestown, down to glen burnie and also ode oton at this time. we are looking at wet roadways as well. as we look over toward the east, we cross the bay at around gracenville, dealing with wet weather around centreville, easton looks like a shower popping up across that area. and we head back over towards calbert county where we're dealing with a little bit more moderate rain around chesapeake beach, that's going to be the name of the game through the rest of this morning. but temperature wise we're looking quite warm, quite mild once again, just like yesterday. 67 degrees right now in westmin -- westminster. good morning goldsboro, you're at 69 degrees. we got some hefty rain yesterday. we'll take these rain totals because we still want to loosen that deficit, about .40 inch

and .30 inch of an inch in bel aire. we're talking about wet roadways. people definitely need to be careful this morning. >>reporter: yes, lynette. on my way in to work this morning from bel aire i really had difficulty seeing. the rain was coming down hard. please be extra careful. no delays through the fort mchenry tunnel or harvard tunnel. that will remain clear on 95 in the white marsh area. as far as the jfx is concerned, all of that construction has finally cleared. no delays to talk about. as we check in and take a live look at the beltway just north of 83, you'll notitoo many cars out there, no delays to talk about whatsoever. it will be a nice easy ride. that will remain the same on the south side of 95. here's a look just north of the beltway. an easy ride traveling down to 495 or headed up north to the tunnels that. is a look at your abc 2 news time saver traffic. megan and charley, over to you. a proposal to put advertisements on baltimore city buses has now taken a step

forward. the city council committee approved the measure last night. sharee is live in front of the headquarters with more on this developing story. >>reporter: we're here at fire department headquarters here right in front of the fallen firefighters statue. this statue symbolizes those who have lost their lives. now, supporters that turned out last night for the city council meeting say they hope the fire truck ads might prevent the proposed closing of three fire companies in baltimore city. now, a spokesman for mayor stephanie rawlings blake says any revenue from those ads is not likely coming in time to do that. a spokesperson for rawlings blake told abc 2 news that she does not take a position on resolutions and will not comment until she sees an actual bill on fire truck ads. he did say a proposal to add signs to city-owned parking garages and even schools is very close to becoming a reality. pete well ch made the plan to

permanently close three fire companies around the city. this includes truck 10 in west baltimore and squad 11 in southeast baltimore. >> you can't put a price on human life and this is a measure that not only provides for these fire companies to be around, but to protect lives. >>reporter: so back out here live, again, the three fire companies would close when the next fiscal year starts on july 1st. right now it's tough to see how any ads on fire trucks would be ready in time to make enough money to save the companies. reporting live in downtown baltimore, sherree johnson, abc 2 news. a metro worker who became trapped under a train is recovering in the hospital this morning. it happened yesterday at the shady grove rail yard. the mechanic has been on the job 28 years. he was hit by the train wash area and suffered serious injuries. the train was out of service and empty except for the operator who began slowly moving the train and it truck the -- struck the worker, pinning his leg. it took rescuers about three hours to get him free.

last week we told you about 2000 workers being laid off by rg steel at sparrows point. today baltimore county executive kevin camnatz will make a proposal on developing business in that area that. will happen at 11:00 this morning. today 27 maryland school also be honored for their efforts to feed the homeless. in total maryland steubilities collected about 462,000 pounds of food for maryland food bank, that's 231 tons. this is all part of the kids helping kids campaign. it offers students an opportunity to collect food and funds for the hungry while earning service. learning hours for graduation and the awards will be handed out to representatives from those schools that participated and collected. that's happening at 9:30 this morning. and this morning we're learning more about what's expected for art scape this year. the mayor will announce details including what acts will be performing on the main stage. this is the country's largest free art festival featuring everything from dance and opera

to fine arts and film. this year it will be held july 20th, 21st and 22nd. it's a pretty crazy weather day out there for many across the country. >> it sure was. we'll show you what it looked like in parts of oklahoma where they saw all kinds of weather elements. video just ahead. how common painkillers may be helping in certain fights of cancer. we'll take a look at the latest research. it's warm and humid again this morning, but the cooler air is on the way. i'll tell whu it arrives coming up. we are off to a rainy start, but fortunately no delays here on 695 at green spring avenue. i'll show you how traffic is shaping up on 95 and 83 coming up in my abc 2 time saver traffic report. stay with us. there's much more to come. you're watching good morning maryland. hey, i'm joey aragon.

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rough weather across parts of oklahoma city. a tornado reported along with damaging hail and severe thunderstorm. more than 53,000 people lost power in the peak of these storms yesterday. time now for a check of our forecast.

we had storms rolling through last night, lynette. >> we sure did. we still need to put a dent in the deficit. as we look at the nation here, the satellite and radar, still dealing with a cluster of thunderstorms now pushing out of oklahoma, heading into texas, and this is going to be the scenario throughout the day. they do have another round of severe weather that could plague the southern states as we go throughout the day. and also some showers and thunderstorms diving down into georgia. they've already had their round of storms and rain, especially with this second system here known as beryl that's now pushing up into south carolina and also north carolina. we zoom in a little bit closer to home and what we're looking at is the fact we do have a couple of showers lingering across the area this morning. as you step out and about, take the umbrella with you because we do have a little bit of drizzle. let's get a check now of abc 2 news time saver traffic with lauren. good morning. >>reporter: good morning, lynette. we are off to a rainy start so you do want to be sure to reduce your speeds this morning. no delays to talk about on the harrisburg expressway. it will be a nice calm chuckanut drive from shan road down towards the beltway.

if you are using the jfx, no concerns whatsoever. all that construction has finally cleared, so you're looking at a very easy 11- minute ride from talson all the way to downtown baltimore. as we check in and take a live look right now, actually through the fort mchenry tunnel no delays to talk about, harvard tunnel also clear and as we make the drive up towards the northeast corridor of 95 and white marsh, you'll notice no delays whatsoever. nice and clear here north of route 43. you are looking at a four- minute ride from this point all the way down towards the beltway. that's a look at your abc 2 news time saver traffic. over to you. today is the start of the national description spelling bee. >> a lot has changed since this all started back in 1925. we're going to take a look at its history and what's changed and what still remains after all of these years. >>reporter: and if you plan to spend time at the pool or beach this summer, listen up, how to avoid getting sick from water- bon illnesses. as we go to break, a live look at the harvard cam.

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14 minutes after 5:00 right now. the scripps national spelling bee gets under way today. >> much has changed over the 87 years since the first contest. it takes a lot to make it out as the champion. >> the words have gotten harder, maybe the kids have gotten smarter, who knows. but here's kristin. [ no audio ] >> we'll get to that in just a little little bit, kristin's story. you can catch the bee on television, espn 3 will be the place to be this morning. >> check out our website, abc2news.com because we've put all sorts of stories on our website. i believe there's even a link to try to take a spelling bee yourself. stay on this graphic. you need to check out this story kristin did two days ago about this 6-year-old speller. she is the youngest ever in the scripps national spelling bee. you have got to hear this young girl's story and listen to her interview. frightening how poised that young girl is.

>> she's quite bright. check it out on abc2news.com. again, the semifinals are on espn 2 tomorrow and you can catch the finals at 8:00 tomorrow night on espn. we've posted all this information on our website, again, abc2news.com. have you ever wondered what the fastest mode of transportation is getting through traffic? well, in poland they did a race to find out. one person went by car, another by bike, a third ran and a fourth took the bus. the car was the fastest, followed by the bike, then the runner and the bus proved to be the slowest mode of transportation. so let's see how the transportation is moving along this morning. let's send it over to lauren cook with a look at your traffic. >>reporter: good morning we are off to a rainy start. expect reduced visibility. when i drove in this morning from bel aire, i had difficulty seeing. be sure to reduce those speeds as you do head out to work this morning. fortunately no delays to talk about on the harrisburg expressway, clear from hunt valley all the way down towards the beltway. if you are using the jfx to get into the city, all of that

construction has finally cleared. looks at an 11-minute ride travel frg talson to baltimore. here is a live look at the beltway at delaney valley road. no problems to report whatsoever. it will remain clear from parkville all the way up towards 83. as far as the west side is concerned, here's a live look at liberty road. no delays to talk about. you are looking at an 11-minute ride on the outer loop from 795 down towards 95. everything will remain up to speed traveling through both the fort mchenry tunnel and the harvard tunnel. that is a look at your abc 2 news time saver traffic. here's lynette charles with a look at this rainy forecast. good morning, lynette. >> good morning, lauren. yes, we do have showers still lingering across the area. that's going to be the scenario for the rest of this morning, maybe an isolated shower to pop up this afternoon as well, but most of the activity earlier today. now, we can see most of the thunderstorm activity, though, was down off towards the south of us. i don't believe that we'll get any thunderstorms today. but we still do have lots of moisture to work with this morning. yes, that cold front is almost passed through the area and it will take its sweet time to dry

out behind it and to cool down behind it. we're already seeing those dewpoints dropping down in hagerstown into the 50s. that's what we'll be seeing as we go through the remainder of today and tomorrow will be stellar if you like the dry weather and the sunshine. right now we are dealing with temperatures that are quite warm, just like they were yesterday. look at the 70s in baltimore, d.c., also easton. and then you see the 60s try to go move in here in hagerstown, york and also culpepper and winchester coming in at 63 degrees. so future trend, it looks like this, again, we still have some showers lingering as we go into 8:00 this morning. and then maybe a couple still trying to move in as we go 92 afternoon, but lots of sunshine will prevail as we head into thursday. by friday we have another cold front that's going to try to traverse the area. that will be bringing us some more showers and thunderstorms possibly in the evening and that will linger into saturday morning, but today it's going to be warm with that temperature coming in at 85 degrees. but it won't be hot. no 90s any more. as we check out what's going to be happening in your seven-day

forecast, thursday, 80, lots of sunshine and much cooler as we head into the weekend. these temperatures a little bit below average. megan. in health news this morning, with the hotter weather, well, chances are you and your family are going to be spending more time outside, especially in the water. abc 2 news' linda stow is here with tips to avoid getting sick from water-borne illnesses. >>reporter: megan, contaminated water can be found in swimming pools, waters, parks, lakes, rivers and ocean. the germ that causes diarrhea and can survive for days, even in color neated pools. it's when contaminated water sits in the ear canal for a long period of time. it can cause pain and discomfort. to decrease the chances of an infection, never put pool water in your mouth. >> the amount of chlorine in a pool, if from a normal small gulp of water won't hurt anyone and many of the public pools, and i think people need to be very careful at home as well

that they have the proper balance of chlorine in their pools. >>reporter: now, the cdc recommends staying out of the pool if you have diarrhea and always try to shower before and after swimming. linda stow, abc 2 news. 5:19. this morning researchers say a new tool in preventing skin cancer is probably already in your medicine cabinet. take a look at this. doctors found anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen may decrease the risk of developing skin cancers, including the most serious, malignant melanoma. health officials say more research is needed to better understand why these painkillers prevent these types of skin cancers. quick update for you this morning, rosemont elementary and middle school are closed due to an electrical failure. staff is asked to report to copin state university. this is the second day in a row this has happened. again, rosemont elementary sch electrical failure. this morning more than two dozen same-sex couples are taking their fight for marriage to the court. coming up we'll tell you the

argument they want to explain. meanwhile, referendums could end up on the ballot in november. how a group depends same-sex marriage is pushing for that to happen. as we head to break this morning, a live picture of the statue of liberty in new york. we'll be right back. 3q take the gamble out of stain removal. introducing resolve all-stains! the pre-treat that combines a chamber of oxygen formula with a chamber of enzyme formula in the same bottle. resolve removes all types of stains in the first wash. trust resolve. forget stains.

top stories we're following for you this morning, a man convicted of using a webcam to spy on a rutgers university roommate and his partner will be in court today. dharun ravi is set to go to jail for 30 days. that's happening tomorrow. his roommate tyler clementi killed himself shortly after finding out about that webcam. today nancy pelosi and house democratic policy committee will hold a hearing on equal pay for men and women. it's called the pay check fairness act, responding to the financial pressures on women by closing the gender wage gap. eight days and still no verdict, the jury resumes deliberations today in the john edwards case. edwards is facing six felony charges accused of using campaign donations to hide his pregnant mistress. today more than two dozen same-sex couples in illinois

will file lawsuits saying it's unconstitutional for the state to deny them the right to marry. the lawsuits are backed by the american civil liberties union of illinois. the suit challenges a state law defining marriage as that between a man and a woman. they argue that illinois constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry under due process and equality causes. maryland's same-sex law is now going to be one step closer to the november ballot. the maryland marriage alliance who is opposed to same-sex marriage amendment submitted more than 113,000 voter signatures yesterday, double the amount they needed. the state has 20 days to verify the signatures, a law legalizing same-sex marriage does not go into effect in january, leaving time to put that measure on the ballot in photograph for -- in november for voters to decide. marylanders for marriage equality say they always expected this law to end up on the ballot. for some of us, 20% is a generous tip to give at one restaurant. >> one couple really went above and beyond for thanking their waiter for his service. find out how big a tip they

left him. and a blue grass legend is dead this morning. we remember the life of doc watson. and we have lots of clouds out there and we do have some rain showers falling from the clouds. i'll tell you when they both move out and the sun returns. those details coming up. we are off to a rainy start, but fortunately no delays here on the beltway at green spring avenue. i'll show you what the jfx and 95 look like coming up in my abc 2 news time saver traffic report. good morning. topping america's money, facebook's freefall, the social network stock is now below $30, a drop of 24% since its much heralded initial public offering earlier this month. as a result ceo mark zuckerberg is no longer on the fortune's list of the 40 richest people in the world. many college students are paying fees to access their financial aid money. nearly 1,000 colleges are using payment cards to disburse aid and those cards have fees for

everything from inactivity to exactly how they're used. rim is on the edge, blackberry maker research in motion admits looking into partnerships and even a sale. it also plans to lay off thousands of workers soon. blackberry, of course, once dominated the smart phone market. now you can start your day with a cocktail of mountain dew and orange juice. the drink is being offered by some taco bell restaurants in california as the chain expands into the breakfast market. that's america's money. i'm rob nelson.

all in all things will begin to dry out as we go throughout the day. let me actually show you what came of this thunderstorms and the rain, a beautiful rainbow, and this happened yesterday in mount airy and that storm cleared, you see the rainbow that appeared and this picture was sent in by michelle johnson. thank you so much. i love to see this. that's when i like to see the wet weather, when it forms something like this. this is exactly